The use of hearing protective and noise attenuating devices are well known, and various types of devices have been considered. Such devices include earplugs and semi-aural devices that may be inserted into, or placed over, the ear canal of a user to obstruct passage of sound waves to the inner ear. Certain hearing devices may contain microphones for sensing sounds from the external environment and re-transmitting to the user's ear using a speaker in the protective device. A challenge with such a system is how to properly receive all sound from the external environment while protecting the microphone and its surroundings from water intrusion.